{Review} While He Was Away by Karen Schreck

While He Was Away 
by Karen Schreck
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Pages: 249
Source: Won
Available as of May 1, 2012
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Fishpond
The Book Depository | Books-A-Million

One year--he'll be gone for one year and then we'll be together again and everything will be back to the way it should be.

The day David left, I felt like my heart was breaking. Sure, any long-distance relationship is tough, but David was going to war--to fight, to protect, to put his life in danger. We can get through this, though. We'll talk, we'll email, we won't let anything come between us.

I can be on army girlfriend for one year. But will my sweet, soulful, funny David be the same person when he comes home? Will I? And what if he doesn't come home at all...?

Rating:

My Review:

My reason for picking up While He Was Away is simple: two teenage sweethearts separated by war and distance. I've made it my goal this year to read all of the YA military related books that are being released. Why? Because my brother has been deployed three times and I know what I go through when he leaves. While He Was Away didn't go exactly as I thought it would, but it held my attention and took me along for a ride I'll never forget.

David and Penna have known each other for about a year. He joined the Army before he met her and his entire world changed. They were inseparable. Now he's deployed and she has to figure out how to get through it. 

While He Was Away started exactly as I had expected. Boy leaves, girl falls apart and becomes mildly depressed. What I didn't expect was for her to preoccupy her time the way she did. Penna truly found herself, more pieces to her family puzzle, and did something she never did once she had David, found a good, close friend. However, the most surprising thing was the ending. I originally thought there could only be one of two endings, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Overall, While He Was Away was a wonderful read that kept my attention and made my heart both smile and cry for the relationship that David and Penna share. I most definitely recommend it if you want to read about the struggles of a long distance relationship.